Lee disappointed by rift with Indians

New Allan Border Medallist Brett Lee admitted here Wednesday he was disappointed by the continuing ill will between Australia and India.

After a summer of simmering tension stretching back to the contentious second Test at the SCG, relationships between the sides are again strained after a controversial tri-series one-day clash in Sydney on Sunday.

Teenage Indian paceman Ishant Sharma was fined after a verbal clash with Andrew Symonds during the game, with the Indians making an official complaint about the "provocative" behaviour of the Australians.

On Tuesday, Australian opener Matthew Hayden called Harbhajan Singh an "obnoxious weed" on radio.

Lee, who has a close affinity with India and has a small part in an upcoming Bollywood film, said he hoped the teams could put the controversies behind them and concentrate on their cricket when the tri-series finals start on Sunday.

"It's a bit of a shame a few things have happened on the cricket field, people know where the line in the sand is and if you cross that line well you know you will get dealt with," Lee said.

"The thing we have to acknowledge too is that once you do walk onto the cricket field and go over that line it doesn't matter whose made friendships, it's very important we go out there and play the hardest, toughest, fairest cricket we possibly can."

Lee was still basking in the glow of winning his first Allan Border Medal, awarded to Australia's best player for the previous 12 months, on Tuesday evening.

Having cooled his heels on the fringes of the Australian team earlier in his career, Lee is thriving on the added responsibility of leading the attack in the absence of retired champions Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.

He said past frustrations only made him more determined to succeed in Test cricket.

"It made me very hungry and it made me appreciate the chance to wear the baggy green cap once it was taken away, and to never become complacent," he said.

"To appreciate the good times you've got to go through the bad I think. "Everyone's been through it, people have had time on the sidelines.

"Players have had times where they've missed out through injury, I think it comes down to how much you want it."

Lee admitted the last 12 months had been a rollercoaster, with the disappointment of missing the World Cup triumph with an ankle injury followed by his resurgence as a Test cricketer.